First Do No Harm: De-Centering Whiteness in Early Care and Education Research

Session Type: Conversation Roundtable

Abstract

In an era of “evidence-based practice,” familiarity with research has become necessary for people designing, implementing, and delivering early care and education (ECE) programs, yet much of that research has been based on children and families that have been described as Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD; Henrich, Heine, Norenzayan, 2010). García Coll and colleagues (1996) called for a shift from a deficit- to a strengths-based approach, yet developmental science has not achieved equity (Causadias & Umaña-Taylor, 2018; Witherspoon et al, 2020). Specifically, the existing evidence base often reflects a cultural organization variously called whiteness, white body supremacy (Menakem, 2017), or white supremacy culture like having a primary caregiver, having unimpeded access to services and institutions, not having experiences of racism, and not having to navigate potential conflicts between a child’s cultural background(s) and a dominant cultural framework. Furthermore, the National Survey of Early Care and Education indicates that the most commonly represented ECE arrangements (i.e., either home only [20%] or center-based care only [27%]) apply to fewer than half of all children in the US. With experience in state administration (Allen), technical assistance for tribal communities (Redbird-Post), and research on Black and Hispanic children (Iruka, Mendez), panelists will discuss the existing evidence base and their work. The resulting conversation can help SRCD members researching ECE to proactively ask questions and provide evidence that better incorporates the lenses, experience, and expertise of diverse stakeholders to move toward an integrated science and greater equity for children from minoritized families and communities.

Sub Unit

• Diversity, Equity & Social Justice

Moderator

• Holli Ann Tonyan, California State University - Northridge

Panelists

• Iheoma U. Iruka, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Julia Mendez, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Rosemarie Allen, President and CEO

• Melody Windsong Redbird-Post, ICF International